Price to Pay
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: They say that there is a feral beast that lives up in the mountains. It may grant you that which you seek. But for a price.


**Disclaimer:** Based off a prompt from MakaS0ul.

* * *

For decades, she slept. Unaware of the comings and goings of the mortal world, she slumbered in peace, tucked away in a cave in the highest mountain of the furthest range, half a world away from her former family. Once, the Dragons were mighty and great creatures who ruled over all Remnant, but those halcyon days had passed long before she hatched. Her father wished to use their power to retake the world but she had no such delusions; the Humans and Faunus had inherited the world and, soon, their time would come to an end, too.

So Weiss slept, curled up on a meager hoard, and only awoke when some fool sought her out, hoping that by bidding her blessing, they might reached greater heights. However, they didn't understand how Dragon magic worked, that nothing could be given without a price being paid; they learned before they left her cave.

 _If_ they left it, anyway.

They would enter, usually surrounded by a retinue of lesser mortals, each haggard from the long journey so that their King or Chief or whatever could beseech the great Dragon. Some had even come to kill her. All of them underestimated her and, eventually, her legend turned to one of a terrible beast capable of granting whatever one may desire but at a price one could never afford. At least, that's what she assumed happened after her last visitor, some seventy years ago- a man who wished to live forever, that he might rule over Vale for all eternity.

She turned him into a mountain. The very one she claimed as her den, actually, for a Dragon gives nothing without gaining something in return.

Weiss might've slept for seventy years more, but the sounds of grunting and cursing, combined with shifting and sliding rock, pulled her from her slumber easily. The Dragon lifted her head, stretching out her great wings for the first time in so long and letting out a growling yawn- a warning. The sounds stopped for a moment but, when they continued, they came quicker, with urgency. It seemed that whoever had climbed her mountain truly sought her presence.

Frankly, she couldn't say she minded. Although irksome in their demands, the mortals of Remnant were the only company she could keep throughout the slow march of time. Her sister had fled Atlas before she did and found somewhere to hide, where neither their father nor Dragonslayers would find her. Weiss, perhaps, had been less discreet, if only to increase the chances of running into Winter again. She'd considered her elder sibling might've been killed but she doubted it; older by several decades and strong enough to defy their father, it would take more than a mere mortal army to bring her down.

Finally, her guest reached the mouth of the den she'd dug for herself, a skylight allowing the sun to filter through and gleam off her bright, white scales as she curled around the small hoard she'd collected back when such things interested her. It was small for a Dragon of her age but she'd lost the will to raid the mortals for their glittering jewels several decades before her last visitor, when she took to sleeping between the infrequent guests. It had once meant something- the size of a Dragon's hoard, the variance, the way it was kept- but, seeing as she was the only Dragon in Vale, and perhaps one of only five left in the world… well, what was the point, anyway?

Great blue eyes watched as her guest approached, trudging closer after a moment's pause. Although her own breathing echoed off the den's walls, she could hear the steadying breath the Human took, steeling her nerves to approach the beast of legend.

"Are you the Great White Dragon?" The Human called out, stopping about fifty meters off, looking up to meet Weiss' eyes in either a show of courage or defiance.

Either way, she rolled her eyes. "No, I'm the Great Blue Dragon. The Great White Dragon is two mountains over."

"You're- wait." The Human growled, clearly vexed. "Are you trying to pull one over on me?"

"Just pointing out how ridiculous a question that was." She spread both wings and lifted her tail, showing off as many scales as possible. "Do I look like a white Dragon to you? Are there really so many Dragons left in the world for a distinction to be necessary? Why would you even ask that?"

With a muttered curse, she put a hand to her face, clearly trying to control her temper. "Look, are you the one who grants wishes or not?"

"I am." She lowered and turned her head, so she could get a better look at the woman before her. After so many years alone and asleep, she couldn't get a good judgment on the woman's height, but she seemed tall and sturdy, even buried under the layers of clothing that protected her from the cold mountain air. The armor she wore was second hand at best, old leather than bore too many holes to be of any use, and battered gauntlets that had seen better days. From beneath an orange scarf wrapped around her head and neck, golden strands tumbled down her back and lilac eyes peered up at her without showing a hint of fear, flashing with stubborn conviction. "But the better question is, who are _you_ to come into _my_ den and demand answers of _me_?"

"My name is Yang Xiao Long," she said, not retreating even a single step despite how easy it would be for Weiss to snap her up in powerful jaws. Come to think of it, she hadn't eaten in quite a while… but she supposed she could hear the woman out first. "I've come to make a wish."

"And here I thought you were just coming to say hi." The Dragon lifted her head again, looking down upon the mortal. "What do you seek? Fame? Fortune? Immortality?"

"My sister's sick." Yang didn't blink, didn't falter, didn't waiver in the slightest as she spoke, those lilac eyes glinting like gems. "I wish for you to save her. Please."

Weiss paused. "You wish for me to spare the life of your sick sister. That's it."

"Yes." The woman took another breath before kneeling down and bowing her head. "The legends say you require a price to be paid for any wish. Take my life in exchange for my sister's. It's… it's all I have."

For a moment, silence filled the den. In all her years, she'd been visited by nobles and soldiers, by the greedy and the proud and the envious, but she'd never been sought out by one who desired something for another and not themselves. The Dragon had thought it odd, in some respects; wouldn't everyone come looking for her, if she could bestow amazing gifts? But she didn't know how the mortals told her tale, or if they told it at all; then again, her latest additions to her hoard had come from those who visited her, after she'd granted their terrible wishes and their loyal attendants had fled. Perhaps the people of Vale thought only the richest among them could even afford a wish. And yet this one had come anyway.

"Tell me your story, Yang Xiao Long." She settled onto her hoard once more, laying her head on her crossed claws. "How is it you've come all this way to beg for your sister's life with nothing but your own meager existence to barter?"

Another curse fell from the woman's lips but she raised her gaze, looking at the Dragon with a hint of anger in her eyes. "My mother abandoned me when I was a child and her mother died when we were small. Our father raised us but he's just a woodsman; he did the best he could. He got sick three years ago and passed last winter, the disease eating away at him from the inside out. Ruby…" Some of the anger gave way to sadness. "She started getting sick during his last month. There's… there's nothing the healers can do."

"A disease that takes two years to kill… that is a painful thing." Her words were true but they weren't all she thought of the story- if it could even be called that. It sounded like a curse or perhaps Dragon magic, and she wouldn't put it past her father to inflict such a price upon a mortal for a wish granted. Regardless, she hadn't done anything quite this malicious, so she turned her attention to the next question on her mind. "How long did you travel to find me?"

"Six months."

"Hmmm… and if you hadn't, and were forced to return home with no cure and no wish, you'd have spent half your sister's remaining time chasing a legend."

Through gritted teeth, the words came. "I had to try."

Weiss tapped a claw against the gold beneath her. "You know you are not offering me your life as a slave, yes?"

"Kill me, turn me into a mountain, chain me to a tree in the middle of the forest, _I don't care_." Yang's hands curled into fists atop her knees. "Just save my sister."

The others would name their prices when they came to make requests of her. They offered jewels and gold, slaves and feasts, sacrifices and tributes, but none appealed to her, so she took what she wished instead. No one had ever offered their own life before.

At length, Weiss finally spoke, slowly easing herself up in the process. "I must see your sister. I am powerful, as all Dragons are, but there are things beyond even my magic. Let's see if I can grant your wish, and only then will I take my dues."

She thought that Yang would have something to say in response to that, and she wasn't disappointed. At least, not in _that_ regard. "Wait." She stood up, once again looking defiant despite the undercurrent of relief that eased the tension from her frame. "Promise me that, if you _can_ save her life, you don't do anything against her." The woman put a hand to her chest. " _I_ am the one asking for the wish; _I'm_ the one who has to pay the price."

"I'm well aware of this," she replied, blowing air through her nose in exasperation.

" _Promise_ me." She held out a hand, as if expecting a handshake to seal the accord. A moment later, Yang obviously realized how ridiculous a notion it was, yet she didn't falter. "Please."

Weiss sighed. "At least you have your manners." With one claw, she reached forward, allowing the woman's hand to grip it as best she could. "Satisfied?"

"Yeah." Now, the relief showed plain in the blonde's expression as she nodded.

"Very well. Now, I'd rather not waste any more time than absolutely necessary." Her tail swung around, the thin tip wrapping around the woman's waist and lifting her up effortlessly. "Tell me where your sister is- directions from here, mind. Mortal names are useless to me."

It took a few minutes of wiggling and vain attempts to free herself- or perhaps simply make herself more comfortable- before Yang responded, a hint of agitation in her tone. "We live on an island off the north eastern coast. It's called Patch-"

"What did I say about the names?"

"-And can't I just ride on your back? It'll be easier to give you directions that way."

"I'm not about to be mounted by a mortal like some beast of burden," she said, claws scraping against stone as she made her way out of her den. "If you want your wish granted, any further complaints will remain unsaid."

Much to her surprise, aside from some grumbling, Yang remained silent as the Dragon brought them out of the cave and into the harsh sunlight of the outside world. It took her eyes a moment to adjust, feeling the keen bite of the cold mountain wind for the first time in decades and spreading her wings wide to feel it gliding over her scales. She took a deep breath before taking to the sky, flying for the first time in centuries, with her cargo alternating between marveling at the world below and loudly pointing out that they were going the right way but it would be easier to tell from a better vantage point.

The latter was ignored, of course.

* * *

Weiss flew for hours before deciding to take a break for the night, the sun hanging low in the western sky. Even if she could go centuries without food, mortals in general were rather weaker in that regard, and she could _swear_ she felt Yang's stomach rumbling so loud it made her scales vibrate.

She chose a small clearing in a forest heavy with the scent of game, too far from the coast for the smell of the sea to throw off her ability to hunt. The Dragon wouldn't need much- honestly, a boar would do at this point, but she could smell an abundance of deer, so she might have to settle for venison and simply gorge herself- and the Human likely had her own stores. When she landed, she opted to be polite and set Yang down on her feet rather than simply dropping her on the ground.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick." She groused, holding a hand to her head.

"A bit of a delayed response, don't you think?"

"Before, I had the thought that, if I'd thrown up on your scales, you would've dropped me in a lake and flown back home to help keep everything settled." The woman bent over, hands on her knees as she focused on her breathing. "I don't have that anymore."

She probably wouldn't have done so but the Dragon didn't bother letting that be known; they still had some distance to travel before reaching Yang's home. "Well, while you're busy calming yourself down from our little flight, I'm going to find some dinner."

"You're not going to fly, are you?" Although still looking a little queasy, the woman straightened up and motioned around. "There's villages all along the border of this forest. If anyone sees you, it could start a panic."

"Oh? Are mortals so quick to take action against the Great White Dragon?" She peered down at Yang, trying to frame her surprise in a different light; after the Dragonslayers waged their war, the number of Dragon families that remained in Remnant numbered very few, and those numbers dwindled further in the centuries that followed. She would've thought her kind had passed into myths and legends by this point, with so few remaining and many not strong enough to weather a war against the Human kingdoms that sprouted up in the wake of the Dragons' fall. "And here I thought I still had a _few_ fans."

The woman hesitated, seeming to weigh her words before opting to stand her ground, that defiance from before shining in lilac eyes. "Some of the stories say you fall upon villages and wipe them out, eating every person and taking the livestock back to your cave. Whatever you don't take, you burn."

Weiss tapped a claw against the ground, digging into the dirt slightly. "You think I aim to wipe out a village tonight, is that it?"

"I really don't have many reasons to think otherwise."

"I'll grant you that." So it seemed she would not be eating quite yet. It didn't truly matter to her, anyway. "Though, for the record, I don't eat Humans or Faunus. Your diets are too varied; it's impossible to tell which of you will taste halfway decent." Tucking her wings in close to her body, Weiss set about laying down for the night. She didn't really need the rest but, honestly, she had nothing better to do, and if this was truly one of the woman's last days alive, she might as well have a good night's rest. "At the same time, I'd rather not do any fighting."

She settled on the north side of the clearing, up against some tall trees, with her tail curling around her body and her neck bending so she could lay her head atop the soft grass beside her front claws. She'd spent so much time alternating between sleeping among the cold metal of her hoard and the hard stone of her den, she'd forgotten the simple pleasure of napping beneath the open sky with the warm earth beneath her and the soft grass to act as her bed.

"So… you're not going to eat?"

She cracked one eye open to look at the Human. "No. Not if it runs the risk of riling up your kind. We're going to see if I can cure your sister, not start a Dragon Hunt. Knowing how your kind work, so much as being seen in the area would be enough to take the blame for every little thing that goes wrong in the whole kingdom for the next three months." Her eye fell shut. "It's of no concern."

"I can hunt for you." Weiss opened her eye again, scanning the woman's form. Yang didn't carry any weapons- at least, none the Dragon could see- but she seemed entirely serious. "There's plenty of game in the woods. An hour or two and I can bring you something. A boar, a deer, maybe a bear?"

Taking a deep breath in through her nose, she focused on the scents lingering among the fresh scent of the forest. "Too few boar, they would be difficult to track. Plenty of deer, though." She closed her eye. "And you're not well equipped enough to take down a bear. Head west, there should be a herd of deer that way; I can smell them on the wind."

"I can take down a bear, if I want."

"I don't believe you could take down a stag, much less a bear," she replied, sighing through her nose. "I can't grant your wish if you get gored by some beast before we even reach your island. Just find a sick doe, if you must find anything at all."

Weiss heard a few mutters- something about her being a 'big dumb lizard with a smart mouth'- but if Yang had anything further to say, she mostly kept it to herself and stalked off to the west as night descended on the forest.

* * *

The Dragon dozed lightly, at first acclimating to the strange sounds of the forest before allowing herself to fall into a deeper slumber. She would awaken at the first sound of someone- or something- approaching the clearing, so it didn't trouble her to rest while she could. Her wings ached slightly from spending years asleep and suddenly putting them through such a vigorous workout but her magic soothed the muscles easily.

Weiss wondered on the frailty of mortals for a time. She always thought it odd that such small, weak creatures could've driven her predecessors to the brink of extinction yet saw the proof with her own eyes; where once stood a meeting place of sorts for the Dragons of Atlas, now mere dust and detritus remained, the stone and metal smashed and twisted by mortal armies. On their own, mortals could accomplish very little compared to a Dragon, but when they banded together, they could be much stronger, whereas Dragons relied on none but themselves for anything. Pride, she supposed, was their greatest weakness, and greed, seeing as it was by demanding more and more for their hoards that the mortals revolted against the Dragons.

It didn't matter, she decided. The world stood as it did now and she could not change it; perhaps it was for the better.

About an hour after she left, Yang made her way back to the clearing, labored breathing coming from the south. She must've had to chase after the herd, the Dragon surmised, and opened her eye. However, she had to lift her head to use both when she saw a lumbering shadow pushing through the undergrowth, easily three times the size of the woman who'd gone hunting. Immediately, fire gathered on her tongue, ready to broil whatever creature would dare intrude upon the clearing, but she held off until it broke through and revealed that it was, in fact, Yang, hoisting the carcass of a large brown bear and throwing it down between them.

"There." She pointed, a smile on her lips. "I told you I could take down a bear."

Weiss blinked in surprise. "You went off and found a bear _just_ to prove me wrong?"

"No, I was going to get a stag." The woman lifted her right shoulder, wincing slightly. "The bear found _me_." Rolling her neck once, Yang pulled a bloodied- and likely dull, given the rust near the hilt- knife from her belt and started towards the dead animal. "Just give me a little bit and-"

" _Or_ we could do this the easy way." Weiss reached out with her tail, dragging the carcass close enough for her to reach out with a claw, pressing the tip into the bear's fur. In a brief, bright flash, her magic had rippled out, tearing the skin from the meat and pulling it away with her claw, which she promptly set aside. Once again, she allowed fire to gather on her tongue, though of a different sort; where the previous flame would've burned straight to the bone, this plume would swirl around the target at a much lower temperature, cooking the meat rather than burning it. Using her blue flames tapped into the purest form of her magic, more often than not the very method she used to grant the wishes begged of her, but it served more mundane purposes as well. When her jaws closed, taking all but a few tongues of blue fire with it, the smell of cooked meat wafted up from the bear's carcass, pulling at her hunger. "There. Much easier."

"Yeah… I guess so." Yang had stood and watched the display with barefaced amazement, as if she could hardly imagine the sort of power one must possess to make such a task take mere seconds instead of another hour at least. Slowly, she slid her knife back into her belt and turned, heading over to the pelt. "If I hadn't seen it myself, I'm not sure I would've believed it."

"Well, you _are_ merely a mortal." The Dragon reached out, pulling a hind leg free of the body and tossing it into her mouth, chewing it slowly to savor the taste before swallowing. After so many decades without proper sustenance, she had to admit the taste rather appealed to her. Perhaps she should wake up once every decade or so to hunt and remind herself of the simple pleasures of the world, like good food. "Magic is the domain of Dragons; Humans and Faunus can control it but can never create it themselves."

"Control it?" The woman furrowed her brows, drawing the bear skin around her and sitting down, reaching into a pouch on her hip. "How could anyone who can't create magic control it?"

"By having it bequeathed to you, of course," she said, pulling off the foreleg on the same side. "I'm surprised you haven't heard the story. A Human king came to me once, wishing for a fraction of my power- magic to control the elements." With a flick flick of her claw, she ate the foreleg, thinking back on that particular exchange. "That was back when I didn't incur stiff penalties against those who begged boons of me. I took one of my scales and fashioned for him a gauntlet that would let him pull fire from air and water from earth, bend them to his will." Turning her head, the Dragon bent closer to Yang, allowing her to see the crack in her scales that started above her left eye and tracked all the way down to her jaw. "He immediately turned it against me, thinking a bit of lightning might be enough to kill a Dragon."

Yang reached out, putting a hand to the broken scales, and while Weiss hadn't moved her head with the intention of letting the woman touch her scar, she didn't pull away immediately. It seemed strange, the touch of another creature, and something she hadn't felt in centuries, but that wasn't what kept her from jerking away. For some reason, Yang looked… upset, if she was reading the mortal's expression correctly, and that confused the Dragon. Why would she be concerned about such things?

"I'm sorry that happened to you," she eventually said, nothing but sincerity in her tone. "I can't imagine why anyone would do something like that."

"It's an age old mindset. That which has the power to grant something also has the power to take it away; likewise, it has the power to grant it to others." Weiss waited until the woman withdrew her hand before pulling away, looking up to the shattered moon overhead. "Mortals have sought me for centuries, hoping I could give them something to make them more powerful than those they lorded over. But as long as I exist, so too does an opportunity for a challenger to rise up, so they often sought to destroy me with the very gifts I gave them." She shook her head. "I grew wiser after the third time. I inflicted harsh stipulations; the greater the request, the graver the price. Even knowing this, still they came. Still they asked. And I got more creative with each time."

Silence descended between them as Weiss rolled the bear over, taking the other hind leg. Between the heavy taste of the meat and the sweet marrow of the bones, she'd be hard pressed to name a more delicious dish, but so, too, would she be hard pressed to name any dish. Not since she'd left Atlas had she had something properly cooked by a hearth fire rather than her magic.

"I don't blame you," Yang said, pulling some bread and cheese from her pouch. "No one ever tells that part. It's always some knight or peasant looking for a simple boon- a stronger sword to defend people with or a favorable wind for their crops. No one says anything about them trying to kill the Dragon after granting the wish."

"And why would they?" Weiss let out a bitter chuckle. "Far be it for any mortal to admit fault. It's much easier to blame the Dragons your kind deposed… though, truthfully, I suppose we earned it, too."

"Were you- I mean, how long have- uh…" Looking away, the woman seemed to struggle with how to word her query before opting to be blunt. "How old _are_ you?"

"Tact is not a strong suit for you, is it?" Weiss rolled her eyes. "I didn't hatch until after the Dragons fell but I'm not terribly old by our standards. And I've spent most of my years slumbering."

For a time, they were quiet, with the Dragon tearing off a chunk of meat from the body of the bear and chewing it thoughtfully while her companion nibbled on nothing but cheese and bread. From the corner of her eye, she watched, noting how Yang never seemed to eye the remaining bear meat with envy or hunger, contenting herself with her meager meal.

"Hey, uh, so I have a question." Ah, there it was. Weiss felt her lips curl up slightly, awaiting the obvious question. "Do you… have a name? Like, something other than Great White Dragon?"

Okay, that wasn't what she expected. "You want to know my name?"

"Or just something to call you." She put a chunk of bread in her mouth, speaking around it as she chewed. "The legends say a Dragon's name is powerful but… I just can't keeping thinking of you as 'the Dragon' in my head, if that makes sense. It seems… rude."

"This time tomorrow, you may be dead." She pointed out, mostly to buy herself time. What Yang said wasn't untrue- a Dragon's name could be very powerful indeed- but she hadn't bothered to even think of her True Name in centuries, so that didn't concern her. The name she'd chosen for herself, however, was known _only_ to herself, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to change that.

"Then I'll know who to thank for saving my sister," the woman replied, though her mood seemed sufficiently soured by the reminder that she wouldn't survive much longer anyway. "Sorry, it was a dumb question anyway."

She watched as Yang returned to her meal, apparently content to let the conversation die, which was probably for the best. Even a name she'd chosen for herself had a small amount of power in it… though no mortal existed who knew how to wield it, not even the power of her True Name. Such knowledge was lost long before she learned how to fly.

"Weiss."

"Huh?"

"My name. Or as close to it as I'll ever speak." She ripped off the bear's remaining leg, holding the meat between the tips of two claws. "It's Weiss." The Dragon offered the food to Yang. "And you need to eat more than just cheese and bread."

"Yeah… might be my last meal, huh?" The woman gave a mirthless chuckle, putting her food in her lap and reaching out to accept the offering. Despite the circumstances, Yang tore into the meat with her hands and teeth, revealing a voracious appetite. Despite the vigor with which she ate, it became obvious that the meat of the leg would be more than enough to fill her, leaving the remainder of the bear to the Dragon. "Thanks for this."

"Aside from the mouthful of meat mangling the words, she had to admit the woman kept her manners in mind. "You're welcome."

"Did you want to keep the skin?" She gestured towards the bear skin draped around her.

Weiss mulled it over for a moment. Generally speaking, anything glittering or metallic caught her interest, but fine silks and furs often did, too. At the moment, however, she didn't particularly care. "I have no use for it."

"Do you mind if I use it for tonight?" Yang raised a hand, stifling her yawn as best she could. "I- I, ah, lost all my sleep stuff a few days ago and this'll make a great blanket."

"Lost your… sleep stuff?" The Dragon carved off another slice of meat, eating now from boredom rather than hunger as she considered what 'sleep stuff' could possibly refer to- likely blankets and tents and the like, things fragile mortals needed to survive the elements that weren't necessary for most creatures. "How did that happen?"

"Pack of wolves nearly got me. I used my bag to beat them back, and sent one over a cliff with it." With another yawn, the woman set aside the bear meat, having devoured a good portion of the upper arm- far more than expected for such a small creature. Apparently, she'd been left with only bread and cheese for quite a period of time. "Lost most of my supplies when that happened so I haven't… haven't really slept… since… then."

Weiss blinked, noting the slowing speed of her speech, and looked over in time to see the woman nearly fall over as she struggled to remain conscious. The full stomach plus warmth of the bear skin must've made staying awake a trial that Yang was fighting to overcome with all her might, but the Dragon merely rolled her eyes and used her tail to tip the woman over. Once sprawled amid the bear skin, it seemed exhaustion took its toll, no objection leaving her lips in favor of simply slipping off into slumber. With nothing else to do, Weiss reached over and pulled the half eaten bear leg towards her, opting to take the remaining meat and put a magic barrier over it, that they might sleep without worry that scavengers might come and steal it in the dead of the night. She also separated the bear's claw from the rest of the leg.

Traveling as far as she did, losing vital supplies and still going, and then spending the whole day flying for the first time only to land and go hunting, fighting off a bear… Yang had certainly endured quite the journey to sacrifice herself for her sister's health, Weiss mused, leaning over to tap a claw lightly against the woman's sleeping form. She hardly stirred but hissed in her sleep all the same; the bear hadn't escaped the encounter with its life but the woman hadn't escaped without wounds herself. Yet, she made no mention of it.

With a brief burst of magic to speed the recovery process on its way, Weiss pulled her tail back and laid down to sleep.

* * *

When morning came, the Dragon awoke to the rising sun filling the treetops with light accompanied by Yang's light snoring. She hadn't moved since being toppled and, were it not for the cacophony of sound issuing from her, Weiss might think her dead. Nothing had dared wander through the clearing during the night, the scents of all the creatures of the forest far more muted thanks in part to the morning dew and, more importantly, greater distance. It seemed that nature wasn't as quick to forget how dangerous a Dragon could be and that mollified her a bit.

However, seeing as she had no real reason to rush, Weiss continued to rest as the sun rose, eventually stretching out a wing to keep the woman shaded. If she'd truly gone many days without sleeping due to a loss of equipment, surely a few hours' extra sleep weren't too bothersome. Even if it had been centuries since the last time she'd traveled so far, the Dragon remembered the general lay of the land, and whatever island the woman hailed from would be easily reached in half a day's flying.

So the morning wore on and Weiss dozed lightly, occasionally retracting her wing to rotate the joint before stretching it out again. As it drew close to midday, the day warmed enough that the woman began to sweat beneath the bear skin, forcing her to move and kick it off, which inadvertently awoke her. Yang sat up, stretching and yawning, a series of pops filling the air as she pushed and pulled at stiff joints.

"Oh, wow. I haven't slept that hard in a while," she said, another yawn erupting from her mouth. "How long have I been out?"

Weiss pulled her wing back, revealing the sun high over head. "Not a full day, yet. Though I don't doubt you could've slept til tomorrow." She jumped up, alarm showing plain in her expression, but the Dragon waved off her concern with a flick of her tail. "We'll reach your island before sundown. Your sister still has, what, at least a year left?"

"Maybe, but she's younger- it might…" Yang trailed off, averting her gaze. "We should get there as soon as possible."

"Most mortals would delay their execution."

"My death doesn't mean anything compared to saving my sister's life." She reached out, putting a hand on Weiss' tail. "Please. The sooner we get there-"

With a small sigh- she was actually enjoying the sunlight filtering through the leaves- the Dragon lifted herself up, rotating her wings to prepare for the flight. "I forget how precious time is to those who measure their passing in years, not centuries."

"Yeah, well, take pity on the Human for being unable to wait another day, okay?" Yang laughed, though it sounded a tad bitter. "I can always sleep when I'm dead."

Weiss tapped her claw against the soft dirt for a moment before wrapping her tail around the woman's waist, lifting her into the air and setting her between the Dragon's wings. "We'll have to fly low to land on your island. If people see us, they're less likely to attack me if it appears I'm… tamed." She rolled her eyes, lightly pushing at the woman's back with the tip of her tail. "Find a seat and hold onto the spikes along my spine. Else, you're liable to fall to your death."

"I kinda wanna be touched that you're concerned for my safety but… I guess it's really all about timing, isn't it?" She could feel the woman's boots walking along her back. "Give me a minute. You've got some sap on your scales."

Ah, one of the disappointing realities of being out among nature rather than holed up in her den. Weiss frowned, craning her neck around to watch as the woman pulled her knife free and began scraping the sap away with the blunt side. "You realize I could use my magic and have it done much quicker, yes?"

"I'd rather you save your magic." Yang looked up at her, a small frown touching her lips. "If you're not sure you can save my sister, you probably need your strength."

"You're stubborn and proud," she said, narrowing her eyes slightly. The trees overhead had left a smattering of sap all along her back, hardly noticeable to her but discoloring her scales all the same. While the woman held the knife in one hand, she pulled the scarf from around her neck and used it to brush away the cracked sap and polish the scales to their usual white shine. "You'll wear yourself out."

"Look, this will literally be one of the last things I'll do." Yang didn't bother stopping her work, chipping away the hardened sap without looking up. "At least let me do something now to show my gratitude." She paused. "And I suppose this could be 'thanks for not killing me without hearing me out', too."

"Do the legends really paint me as being so rude?" Despite the insistence against it, Weiss flooded her scales with magic to make the task easier, though she pretended to leave the woman to her work, carving off a few more slices of the bear meat from the carcass. She had no real hunger to speak of but it would be nice to savor the flavor a little longer.

"Well, generally speaking, all the stories say that Dragons hate Humans and Faunus alike- we're inferior, mortal, small and squishy and lacking in magic. So, after the Ancient Kings broke the Circle of Dragons and founded the mortal kingdoms, yeah, pretty much every legend says that Dragons are more likely to eat you than talk to you."

Weiss picked up the bear skin- abandoned after Yang awoke- and began weaving her magic through the fur to pass the time. "For as terrible a beast as I should be, I must admit, the whole situation paints _you_ in a rather dubious light."

The woman grunted, pulling a water skin from her belt to help clear away the sap. "How do you figure?"

"Your sister got sick, and it seems the first thing you did was embark on a perilous journey to seek a cure from a terrible beast that should, by all rights, kill you on sight rather than listen to your plea." She turned her head, looking at Yang. "You're either insane or incredibly brave."

"I like to think it's a bit of both." The woman stood up and popped her back before crouching back down to continue her work. "But, yeah, that's basically my story. From start to finish, not too thrilling a read, I guess. There's a few moments that make it kinda worth it or whatever but, yeah. Nothing to put in the kingdom library or anything. What about you?"

"What about me?" She picked up the bear claw and touched it with her magic as well, changing its form slightly.

"Well, you have to have a story, too. A real one, not just a bunch of gossip strung together to make you sounds like a monster."

The Dragon paused. For as many centuries as she'd lived, she'd never told anyone her 'story' as it were. Her True Name was likely stricken from the records of her family and any memory of her in Atlas was erased. "Truth be told, your story is far more interesting than mine. I was born in Atlas, in the ruins of the Circle, one of the last in a noble line. Were things different, I may have ruled over one of these mortal kingdoms- my elder sister was first in line to inherit the crown, to be Queen of the Circle. But without our birthright, my family struggled to find a new purpose. They eventually settled on vengeance."

"They?"

"My sister and I weren't part of this decision, nor my younger brother, and all those who might've come after me." She carved another slice of meat from the bear, gathering up her little distractions into one claw for the meantime. Yang had almost finished with her scales and they had far to go. "I decided that starting another war would do us no good. Even if we retook the world, there's too few Dragons left. We will eventually die out… so I fled Atlas, to live out my centuries in peace. Yet, try as I might, I can never go more than a few decades without being found by someone, beseeching me to use my magic, granting something to increase their own power… and in the meantime, I sleep."

"What about your sister?" Either confusion or trepidation lingered in the woman's voice, pausing in her work for a moment. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know. Perhaps she's somewhere out there… perhaps not." She sighed. "If she wanted me to find her, I would have centuries ago."

"I'm sorry, Weiss."

She turned her head, noting the frown on Yang's lips. "What are you apologizing for?"

"It's just… I'm asking you to save my sister's life and you haven't seen yours in so long…"

"That's hardly something you can control."

"Still… I, well, when our mom died, I read from her storybook to help my sister fall asleep. That's the only reason I know your legend at all…" Her expression turned a little sadder. "But, there were only three legends about Dragons in that book. The Great White Dragon, who granted wishes at a terrible price, the Dragon of the North, who demanded more and more tribute until the ancient kings rose up to destroy him, and the Iron Dragon, who forged the armor and weapons for the Great War. All the rest were… unnamed, I guess."

The Dragon sighed. "I don't expect mortals to know more about my kind than I do… and, frankly, there's not much to tell, anyway. Don't trouble yourself with it."

"I have a friend- Blake, she's a Faunus from Menagerie, she might know some different legends."

"What use would more legends be?"

Yang scrapped off the last of the sap, stowing her knife and supplies. "Well, I mean, maybe she knows of another Dragon out there. I mean, centuries by yourself… that's a long time to go without someone to talk to."

"We are solitary creatures by nature. It doesn't trouble me," she said, looking away even as she grabbed the slice of meat with her tail and passed it back to the Human. "If I wanted company, I would seek it out myself."

"But-"

"Eat your breakfast," she said, a slight growl at the edge of her words. "We've the rest of our voyage ahead."

Weiss heard the inhalation and braced herself for further needling but, much to her surprise, the woman merely accepted the meat and ate it quietly and quickly. It seemed the only thing that could distract Yang was her sister's well being.

* * *

They took to the sky, with the woman hanging on tightly to Weiss' spikes as she soared above the clouds. Unlike the day before, Yang seemed far more enamored with flying, no complaints as to her queasy stomach as she called out to birds or leaned over to see how far they were from the ground. At first, it proved mildly distracting, but eventually the Dragon found that dipping low or arching high on the wind would pull a surprised laugh from Yang. Banking sharply, rolling in mid air, diving down only to skim along the tops of trees or water before shooting up into the sky again- she hadn't done such mundane tricks since she'd first learned how to fly so many centuries ago, and the woman seemed just as amused as she was back then.

Eventually, though, the island came into view. Yang tapped against her neck, directing her towards the northern side of the island, where a single house stood in the middle of a clearing. Spreading her wings wind, Weiss glided down to land in front of the lone house, surprised when someone came running out the door, brandishing a sword.

"Blake! Blake, it's okay!" Yang shouted, sliding down the Dragon's side and helped along by her tail, hitting the ground on both feet and waving her arms. "It's fine, Blake! Everything's okay!"

"You show up riding a _Dragon_ and everything's supposedly _okay_?" The Faunus- the cat ears atop her head were pinned back against her raven mane, true, but visible all the same. "Wait, is- is that- is _that_ -"

"The Great White Dragon?" The woman smiled, turning and waving an arm towards Weiss. "Yeah. Here, in the flesh."

The Faunus slowly relaxed, her ears standing up tall as realization struck. "You actually did it."

"I said I would." Worry creased her brows, a frown touching her lips. "How's Ruby?"

Tearing her amber eyes away from the Dragon's form, Blake looked at her friend with a pained expression. "She's getting worse, Yang. I… I'm not sure if she's going to be strong enough."

"Then I suppose we arrived in time," Weiss said, seeing the mounting terror in Yang's expression and opting to cut it short. Gathering her magic, she set aside the bear skin and claw, her scales shining brighter than the sun for a moment as her form shifted, condensing down until she'd taken on a Human appearance. Judging by the looks of awe mixed with surprise, she supposed shapeshifting had been left out of the legends regarding her, and most other Dragons. Frankly, aside from being smaller and less overtly formidable, she didn't think she looked too different, retaining her striking blue eyes and scales becoming pale skin and white hair, dressed in a simple, flowing dress with long sleeves. "There. I suspect it will be easier to see your sister now."

"Uh… yeah?" Yang stared, mouth slightly agape, until the Faunus elbowed her in the gut. "I mean, yes, right, uh, this way."

The woman led the way into the house, which actually looked in good repair, all things considered. She could see the furniture built by the blonde's hands, likely a skill she learned from her father, and the patches in the roof from several storms. True to her word, Yang's home wasn't much, but it felt… far more lived in than the den that held the Dragon's hoard, despite being inhabited for several centuries. She could see the marks in the wooden doorways with ages scratched next to them, chronicling the aging of Yang and her sister, and various knick knacks made by small, inexperienced hands and put on display like the most invaluable treasures.

For all that Dragons may have once ruled, they never came close to building the simple foundations that came so naturally to Humans and Faunus alike.

Blake trailed after them, obviously a tad anxious, until the trio came to a room with its door closed, weak coughing coming from within. For a moment, the woman hesitated, her shoulders slumping, but she straightened up and opened the door, brushing into the room with a fake smile on her lips.

"Hey, Rubes. Guess who's back?"

"Yang." The voice that answered her was small and weak, but still happy.

As Weiss entered the room, her gaze fell upon the child- and perhaps she wasn't a child in age, but her frame looked small and frail, silver eyes dull and hair limply hanging around her gaunt face. Whatever illness had plagued her, it was siphoning away her very life, and it put a frown on the Dragon's face.

Still, Yang smiled wider, a bit of genuine joy filling her expression as she knelt beside the bed. "Look at my big, strong little sister. Can you sit up?"

"Yep." Ruby pushed herself up a little, just a tad bit higher on the pillow, and flashed a smile. "See?"

"That's my sis." Lilac eyes darted her way for a moment. "There's… someone I'd like you to meet."

"Oh, hi. I'm Ruby." The girl looked at her, offering a slightly bigger smile, and it must've taken so much strength to do that much, yet she did. It seemed every member of Yang's family put their all into everything, no matter what. It was a rather charming familial trait. "What's your name?"

"Now, sis, you can't just ask her name like that." Yang leaned closer to the bed, a smirk on her lips as she whispered loudly. "Dragon's names are powerful things, remember?"

"No way." Ruby smiled just a bit wider. "You're a Dragon? For real?"

"Indeed I am." She let her eyes shift for a moment, flashing back to their usual reptilian appearance, and earned a gasp from the girl. Taking a few steps into the room, she sat on the edge of the bed. "And your sister has asked a boon of me. I'm here to see if I can heal you."

"But… Yang-"

"Shush, Ruby. It'll be alright." Yang took her sister's hand in hers and lied, with a smile on her lips. "I promise. Everything will be okay."

Before the sisters could begin arguing, Weiss reached out, setting the tip of her finger in the middle of Ruby's chest and seeking out the heart of the disease. From the moment she touched skin, she could tell that this was no ordinary illness at all; it was a dark, ancient sort of magic, one that couldn't be erased with a snap of her fingers. The Dragon would have to draw it out, pulling the thick strands of foul magic from deep within the Human's body. As she pulled her finger away, it followed, the dark sludge seemingly seeping out from the center of the girl's chest to chase after her digit, flowing into the palm of her hand and eventually forming into a ball. After she'd pulled the disease out, Weiss put her other hand over Ruby's chest, imparting a touch of her magic to fill in where the darkness had eaten away. As the illness solidified into a ball, trapped in a sphere by her magic, Weiss stood from the bed and began to exit the room.

"Ruby? Rubes?"

"Yang?" The girl's breathless surprise sounded rather elated, especially when it was followed by the sisters laughing in genuine happiness for perhaps the first time in far too long. "Yang! I- I feel great!" The Dragon stopped at the doorway, turning her gaze back in time to see blankets thrown aside as the girl jumped at her big sister, the two embracing and laughing, with Blake joining in on the merriment a moment later. Happiness, joy, sharing of achievements and pain- companionship, no matter its form, proved to be the mortals' greatest weapon of all. "I'm all better! Maybe I'll be as strong as _you_ now!"

"You _are_ stronger than me, Rubes. I've always known that." Yang laughed and cried, clutching at her sister, and the relief and happiness brought a smile to Weiss' lips just before she slipped out of the room and the house.

She resumed her normal form, the tiny ball that had almost filled her hand now nothing more than a grain between her claws. With a mighty flap of her wings, she took to the sky and pointed her way towards the sea, flicking the little ball of darkness out to be lost to its depths. Perhaps, in time, her magic would no longer be able to contain it, but it would grow weak without a host to feed off, and ancient magic like that didn't do well without mortals or Dragons around to leech from anyway. Her task complete, she came back down to the ground in time for the three occupants of the house to join her outside.

"I guess that's one wish granted, huh?" Yang's smile dimmed slightly, glancing at her sister bringing back the brightness, the younger woman standing hardly as tall as her shoulders. They looked nothing alike, honestly, with one being blonde and muscular while the other had darker locks running with red and the frame of a sprinter, but in their smiles she could see the family resemblance, one of the elder sibling's hands coming to rest on the younger's shoulder. "This is the first time Ruby's been out of bed in almost a year."

"I feel better than ever!" Ruby looked up at the Dragon, wonder and boundless energy twining together in her every motion and word. "I bet I could wrestle you!"

"I'm sure you could," Weiss replied, her lips pulling into a small smile.

For a moment, silence fell between them, but then Yang stepped forward. "So, I guess… it's time for payment."

"Payment?" Ruby's brows furrowed, looking between her sister and the Dragon. "Yang, you said those stories were just stories-"

"Ruby-"

"No, no you can't-" Silver eyes turned on Weiss, shining so bright with tears yet to fall. "Please, Great Dragon, you can't take my sister-"

"Ruby, please-"

"Ruby," Blake said, coming up behind the smaller of the two women and wrapping her arms around her, holding her still. "Yang knows what she's doing."

"But-"

"I have to pay the price." The woman looked up, defiant and proud as ever. "That was our deal."

"Indeed it was," Weiss said, flames gathering on her tongue. She took a single step forward, craning her neck over the woman's form and opening her jaws wide, allowing the blue fire to pour from her mouth and swirl around Yang's frame. When they'd left her den the day before, she hadn't yet decided how she would take her payment, but that morning had given her an idea. Now, she'd followed through with it… but not totally, and as the flames died out, her jaw snapping shut with finality, the Dragon made her decision. "There."

Yang stood, shaking, staring at her arms where the flames had caught but not burned, because that was never Weiss' intention. She flexed her fingers, rotated her wrists, and looked herself over, but seemed no closer to any conclusion at all. "What… happened?"

"The disease that nearly killed your sister took from her more than words can say. Had I merely taken the illness away, she would've died for all it had eaten," the Dragon said, lowering her back legs until she sat before them, tail swirling around her claws. "I gave her some of my magic to keep her alive. Ruby Xiao Long-"

"Rose." The girl piped up, ducking her head slightly. "My, uh, my name's Ruby Rose."

"… Ruby Rose, then." She briefly recalled Yang mentioning they had different mothers but honestly couldn't understand Human naming conventions to save her life. Regardless, she continued. "You have my magic in you, sustaining you, and you will live much longer than your fellow Humans because of it. You may even live as long as the Faunus do." Blue eyes shifted from the girl to her sister. "Yang Xiao Long. Saving your sister's life is more a punishment than a boon without someone to spend that time with, so I have given you some of my magic as well. You are both Dragonkin now- with some of the vast powers I possess now at your disposal. You are stronger, faster, and this will help you make up for lost time." She reached over, picking up the bear pelt and claw and dropping them into Yang's shaking arms. "I also leave you with these- this pelt will protect you from cold and heat, from arrow and sword, and this claw is now the strongest of weapons, worn just like your gauntlets."

"Weiss?" The woman looked up at her, confusion showing plain in lilac eyes. "I- I don't understand. I… I can't- there's nothing I have to pay the price for all this."

" _I_ decide the price," she said, lifting her head high into the air. The Dragon turned, spreading her wings wide and preparing to leave. "And I've decided… you've already paid it."

Originally, she hadn't decided what she would demand of the woman for completing the task set before her. That morning, when Yang was bent over and scraping sap from her scales, she'd decided that having some company in her lonely den wouldn't be so bad, and a Dragonkin could live nearly as long as herself, especially with her nearby to keep the magic strong.

But after seeing the sisters together, and with this Faunus friend of theirs… Dragons had wrought enough damage upon the world. She wouldn't break up yet another family to serve her own ends. Yang had the heart of a Dragon- proud and stubborn, but kinder than her size should allow- so it only made sense to give her the strength and form of one as well.

But she wouldn't mention that. She would take the memories of being out in the world again and their conversations as payment enough and be done with it.

"Farewell." She crouched low, taking one last look behind her at the shocked trio she was leaving behind, before taking off.

On the island below, she could see the people scrambling, her earlier landing causing a slight panic in the village proper, but she would be long gone by the time they arrived at Yang's home. If the trio were smart, they'd convince the villagers they'd seen nothing at all, merely a trick of the mind; otherwise, she'd given them the necessary tools to survive a few locals causing trouble.

Weiss flew back to her den in the south, alone, and didn't bother stopping or hunting on the trip.

* * *

Days bled into weeks, and weeks into months, while the Dragon lay atop her hoard and sighed deeply. Sleep would not come to her as easily as it once had, instead remaining just out of reach as time marched on slowly, each hour filled with nothing but the shifting of coins and metal as she tried getting comfortable. Yet, Weiss remained wide awake and downtrodden, listlessly laying about her cave, tail tucked as tightly around her body as she could get it with her neck craned all the way around, so she could lay her head on her hip. As small as possible, and it matched her mood rather well.

That was the problem with allowing herself to be awoken. Inevitably, she would find herself distracted by whatever little curiosities the mortals would bring with them, sleep eluding her as fanciful daydreams invaded her mind. She could take Human form or even that of a Faunus and live among them for a time… but it would be nothing more than a brief foray in the grand scheme of things. Even lengthening the lifespans of those around her would eventually draw suspicion, and soon war would follow, and it was just easier to remove herself from the world. She'd hatched too late to be part of the days when Dragons ruled and being born a Dragon at all precluded her from the new world left in her kind's wake. It would be better if she just stayed in her den, tucked away from everyone, and lived out her days in quiet solitude… in lonely misery.

The scrabbling of claws against stone caught her attention but she didn't care. Perhaps it was her sister finally come for her, perhaps her father, perhaps some other Dragon who'd managed to survive all these years as she had and come to take her hoard… it didn't matter. If she could not sleep to pass the time… perhaps it had come time for her to pass.

Her guest must've reached the mouth of the cave, the sounds ceasing save for the final _whump_ of some sort of large fabric hitting the ground.

"I understand you've got a whole tradition thing going but… I'm still not sure I get the appeal of a cave."

Weiss furrowed her brows, feeling as though the voice was familiar despite never hearing it before. Curious, she lifted her head and looked towards the mouth of her den.

There, standing just inside her den, was another dragon, with gleaming golden scales and wings spread wide, even larger than Weiss' own wingspan. Unlike her, the newcomer had two tone scales, orange spread throughout her underbelly, and the spikes along her jaw and back were of the same color. Although she hadn't seen enough to truly have any frame of reference, she had to admit the other Dragon seemed rather… handsome, she supposed would be the proper word. A striking visage, one that didn't so much as inspire territorial rage as… awe. She looked beautiful.

"I thought having a new perspective on the second go 'round would make something just click but… no. It really doesn't." The Dragon stepped closer, lips curling into an eerily familiar smile as lilac eyes caught the light streaming in from overhead.

Weiss' brows furrowed as she uncurled, entirely unbelieving of what she saw before her. "… Yang?"

The other Dragon- or Dragonkin, to be more precise, nodded. "You could've told me you gave me shapeshifting magic, by the way. I would've been here sooner."

"Why are you here at all?" She got up, taking a few steps closer, still half certain this was all a dream, that perhaps she had fallen into a slumber and her mind seemed fit to torture her further. "What of Ruby? And Blake?"

"They're back home, safe, healthy, and quite happy I might add." Yang brought her wings in close to her body and stepped closer, lowering her head. "I didn't run off without telling them, if that's what you're thinking. And flying made the trip a _lot_ easier." She looked away briefly, her focus apparently breaking as her form shifted back to Human. Draped over her shoulders was the bear skin and the claw gauntlet was affixed to her right wrist, and her clothing certainly looked in better repair than their first meeting, but it was still Yang looking up at her with those lilac eyes. "I've come to make another wish."

Weiss blew out a breath through her nose, disappointed in herself for thinking, even briefly, that the Dragonkin had returned for any other reason. "You have magic of your own, now. You can grant your own wishes."

"Not this one- I need you for it." Defiant as ever, Yang stood before her with that determined glint in her eye. "I wish for you to return to Patch with me."

The Dragon just stared at her. " _Why_?"

"Because centuries are really long- too long to be holed up in a cave by yourself." A frown touched Yang's lips. "You saved my sister, and gave both of us amazing powers… and then just _left_. After how badly everyone else has taken advantage of you, you gave us more than we could've imagined, and then… disappeared." The frown deepened. "You didn't even let me say goodbye."

"You had a life before your journey. I let you return to it."

"It's not that simple." The Dragonkin looked at her bearskin and claw. "Look, I've been around for a while…" She paused, taking into account her audience. "Okay, maybe not as long as _you_ -"

"If that's a slight against my age, you're not doing yourself any favors."

"Comparatively, I've still been around long enough to know a few things, okay? And I know no one wants to spend all their time alone."

"I'm a _Dragon_."

"And I'm now one too, right? Or, part one, anyway." Yang's stubbornness was shining through rather well. "And I haven't felt the sudden urge to squirrel myself away from the world for months on end, so, I'm pretty sure that's not a 'Dragon only' thing."

"Why are you suddenly so concerned about my well being?"

"Technically, I've been concerned about your well being since the beginning," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Weiss opened her mouth, preparing to argue back, but… that… was actually a good point. "Is this a Human thing?"

"Pretty sure it's a 'Yang' thing… or maybe a 'Xiao Long' thing, not sure." The Dragonkin sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look… I missed you, okay? I spent six months looking for a great and terrible beast, and I found _you_ instead- someone who's kind, and caring, and maybe more than a little misunderstood in the grand scheme of things- then you whisked me back home to save my sister. I barely got any time to get to know you and you just… left… and that's even _less_ time now that I'm going to outlive most mortals, right? So… I…" Yang took a few steps back. "Okay, I'm not going to wish for it, because you don't have to, but I'd really like it if you came back to Patch with me. I dug out a new cave for you and everything, just a few miles down the coastline on the mainland, so you can still be by yourself, if you want. Then it wouldn't take a day and a half just to visit."

Blue eyes drifted up to the fabric Yang must've dropped when she entered the den. "And what's that for?"

"To transfer all… _that_." She gestured towards the Dragon's hoard. "I figured you'd want to bring it with you."

Weiss looked down at the Dragonkin, who matched her gaze evenly. "Let me see if I understand you correctly. You're asking me to move my hoard to a cave closer to your home because you… missed me?"

"Yeah, that's basically it." She nodded. "So… what do you say?"

It probably should've taken her longer to answer than she did, because the words left her mouth immediately.

* * *

It took two trips to transfer her entire hoard, mostly because she didn't want to overtax the Dragonkin's new form. Apparently, it had taken her quite some time to teach herself to fly, and Ruby hadn't figured out how to transform yet, so she was on her own in that department. Blake had written down Yang's story about her trip to meet the Great White Dragon, and now it was the most popular version of the tale. Already, depictions of a white dragon were said to bring good fortune rather than ill omens. Weiss couldn't imagine the surprise when the villagers of Patch learned about their new neighbor.

The new den was… big. It shouldn't have surprised her- Yang's Draconic form was quite larger than hers, after all- but it certainly felt a lot more empty than her old one did… but only sometimes. Because, while Yang would spend her time on Patch during the day, carving furniture or clearing fields, she would fly back to Weiss' den at night. They would talk and eat meals together, sometimes involving the stories of where the treasures in her hoard came from and other times Yang would recount stories from her childhood. Then again, sometimes Weiss would fly to Patch, and watch Yang work or help her, visit with Ruby and Blake, take a meal in the small house with the others.

Time passed slower now, but in a good way. She slept during the night, sometimes with Yang curled up beside her and light trails of smoke billowing from her nostrils while, other times, they would use a soft, fluffy 'mattress' in their Human forms.

Weiss learned much in the months that followed, and she learned just as much from the stories Yang told as the questions she asked. At first, it all seemed innocent- learning more about Dragons and her side of the stories so often told in Vale- but then things turned more… odd, she would say. Finally, Yang stopped trying to be subtle and flat out asked if she looked good as a Dragon, if the new form made her appear attractive. Weiss thought it simply a bit of vanity- and she had to admit, she could be susceptible to such as well- and indulged her, giving her honest opinion. She couldn't quite understand why that made Yang so happy… until she learned that the Dragonkin had been rather blown away by _her_ Human form.

Eventually, it was Blake who told both of them that they might as well be dating, all things considered, and while the concept didn't quite apply to Dragons, Weiss could admit she didn't mind that particular part of mortal culture. That, apparently, was all the go ahead Yang needed to begin courting her in earnest, and she did so in every way imaginable- by the customs of Humans and Dragons and even Faunus, just to make sure there were no misunderstandings at all.

As they laid down together at the end of a particularly long day, both curled up atop the hoard- because it had become harder to think of these things as hers, exclusively, when she shared so much with Yang, and when Yang shared so much with her- Weiss began to think that, maybe, the world could do without Dragons… but perhaps it could do with a few more Dragonkin. It would require an ancient sort of magic, the kind that she had no need for before, but as Yang- her friend, her lover, her mate- shuffled closer to her, twining their tails together and nosing her way beneath the white Dragon's neck so their heads could rest side-by-side, she thought it might be nice to indulge.

For one who'd spent centuries in solitude, she'd grown fond of having company.

"Yang," she said, hoping to catch the Dragonkin before she'd dropped off into a deep slumber.

"Hmmm?"

"Has anyone begged a wish of you yet?"

Her brow furrowed, yellow scales shifting in a decidedly more human version of the expression. "No?"

"May I be the first?"

She chuckled, murmuring softly. "Sure. What's your wish?"

"I wish for offspring," she said, a mischievous smile on her lips that grew wider as one lilac eye snapped open.

"You mean kids, right? Children?" She could feel the restless energy running through Yang's form, all thoughts of sleeping abandoned for the moment. When Weiss nodded, she smiled wide. "Okay, but there's a price to pay!"

"Oh? And what's that?"

"If we do this, we raise 'em the Human way. No leaving them in some forest for two decades to see if they'll survive."

Already, she could imagine the panic infecting the Dragonkin's voice when she was eventually faced with the very terrifying prospect of a young Dragon accidentally setting fire to everything around them but realized that, as a mortal woman, Yang had traveled half a world away to find her and hadn't been deterred. She would stubbornly hold a baby Dragon even as it deliberately set fire to her and never think to complain, just to prove a point. She still hadn't decided if it was more brave or insane but it certainly came off as endearing. "Very well. We'll do things your way."

Yang immediately moved her head, rubbing their faces together in an affectionate gesture. "We're going to make great parents."

"I think you're right," she replied. "But remember this conversation in about… five years or so."

"Why?"

"No reason."

It seemed her price would have a price all its own. Frankly, she looked forward to it.

* * *

Author's Note: If you're wondering why it took a touch to turn Ruby into a Dragonkin, meanwhile Yang had to have fire breathed on her… the literal goddamn answer is Weiss wanted to be dramatic. *spreads hands* _Sometimes, I swear I don't control them._ But, I also like to think that, while Ruby basically got her body and soul reinforced with Weiss' magic, Yang got a damn near full conversion, hence the differing methods (also the main reason Ruby hasn't figured out how to shapeshift yet). Also, this is getting a second part. I guess.


End file.
